Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

7 reviews

madelinekramer2021's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Genocide, Death, Blood, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Rape, Body horror, War, Torture, Racism, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Grief, Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Sexual assault

careinthelibrary's review

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

The network of pain throughout this family, each responding in a different way to dispossession (of land, of culture, of family) and death. Mornings in Jenin is a gruelling read that made my heart ache and never let up, even to the last page. But it's also full of tender moments between these loving and hopeful characters and beautiful writing that gives a sweet reprieve from the dark. Careful, considered language that makes the ache of losses deeper and more impactful.
A truly outstanding debut, I will continue my journey through Susan Abulhawa's writing knowing I'm in the hands of a talented author. I'm struck by the years of apartheid covered in this novel and its echoes in the present day genocide of Gazans and continued oppression of Palestinians in their homelands and beyond. Free Palestine.

"Love, David
... Love, Ismael"💔🇵🇸

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, and War

Moderate: Child death, Blood, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Torture, and Sexual assault

morybaby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Sexual violence, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, Hate crime, War, Violence, Death, Genocide, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry

kind0fdarkness's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, Death, Child death, Islamophobia, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Violence, Police brutality, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape

alisha94's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Rape, Gun violence, Police brutality, Xenophobia, Racism, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Deportation, Death, Sexual violence, Genocide, and Death of parent

writingcaia's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

You will never be the same after this book. 
It’s hard to transmit all I’ve felt during it, even now after a few hours. 
This book is not only informative and deeply meshed into the history of Palestine, the culture, the family ties, the smell and love of that country, it is also a very open window into the invasion/occupation and conflict with Israel, the camps, the ethnic cleansing, and all the atrocities of the apartheid since. 
Although this is the fictional story of a Palestinian family going back three generations when they’re first taken from their ancestral home in 1967 and forced into the Jenin refugee camp travelling time and countries to end in 2003, this is still based on hundreds of real stories that happened during those 40 years.
A book that I now consider a must read to all that want to understand humanity at its most intense level of experience, from love to hatred, loss and despair to hope, from war to art.
The writing is poetic and deeply resonating, and the way it tells of the love of country and people even through such severe loss is humbling and takes you on a journey inside your own feelings as you follow those in this tale.
I cried, despaired, and raged, and still feel the aftershock of all the information, all this history, all these feelings, this is definitely not a book for the faint hearted still I cannot recommend it enough, and will be doing so forever more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Dementia, Excrement, Genocide, Hate crime, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Child death, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Mental illness, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Miscarriage

kait_sixcrowsbooks's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Rep:

• full Palestinian cast
• Muslim MCs and SCs
• Jewish MC and SCs

...I don't even know where to start.

If you're looking for a book that may put you through a bunch of emotional turmoil as the reader, this is your book. It follows four generations of a Palestinian family, from before Al Nakba to a couple years after 9/11, as they try to make a life after Israeli occupation and war uproots them from their ancestral home. It dealt with the horrors of war and genocide, which was contrasted by the beautiful purple prose. If you connect with the writing early on, you will probably be put through the wringer repeatedly as you read.

I will say this: I do not regret reading Mornings in Jenin. It's unbelievably sad and, at times, hard to get through. But I appreciate every minute I put in to reading it, and I hope you do, too, if you decide to pick it up.

However, please pay attention to the content warnings.

A full review will be on my blog next week.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Kidnapping and Sexual content

Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, and Sexual violence

The ableism also includes internalized ableism. Other warnings include: war (graphic); bombing (graphic); execution (graphic); effects of trauma (moderate to graphic)